Jamie’s Italian Singapore @ Vivocity

Jamie’s Italian has finally landed in Singapore after months of anticipation! After my dining experience at Jamie’s Italian in Oxford, I was more than delighted that his beautiful creations will be available locally. Not wanting to brave the (‘Singaporean’) queue, I called in advance only to find out in dismay that the next available booking was 3 weeks later, in August. Desperate times call for desperate measures – start queuing at 5.30pm and you’ll definitely get a table by dinnertime.
I love how ‘Singapore’ is bigger than the brand on the menu!
The interior has a very cosy, homely feel to it, with mismatched tables and chairs and overhanging lights – typical of the rustic Jamie-Oliver style.
There’s also a bar for diners to have some pre-dinner drinks and your table will be on hold for you until you’re done with your booze. Oh, and I just spotted the service staff for my table that night (white-shirt-Chinese guy) and I really have to commend him for the excellent service he had provided my family and I.
LEFT: Italian Bread Selection [Homemade rosemary focaccia etc.] ($6) – Too bad the breads were not served warm. However, the rosemary flavour was really distinct in the foccacia!
RIGHT: Peach Bellini ($12) – Some happy sparkly for the night!Fish Plank [Cured & crispy fish, italian aged pecorino cheese, pickles, crunchy salad] ($17/per person) – Love the presentation of this platter! There are meat and vegetables platters available respectively too. This is a good starter to go round the table and in fact this portion is for one – more than sufficient for two to share. The crispy fish went really well with the yuzu mayonnaise and the shell fish were amazingly prepared with herbs. However I’m not a fan of the cheese cracker which was too pungent for me.
Salad of the Day: Orange, Fennel & Cured Salmon Salad ($13.50) – A very beautifully done salad. The thinly-sliced fennels were crunchy and smooth, akin to the textures of an onion, but without the odour. The orange were very juicy, bringing to the salad a refreshing dimension, enhancing the sweetness of the cured salmon. Unlike smoked salmon, the cured salmon was not salty at all!Apple Slaw [Radishes, walnuts, candied beets, mint & lemon w yoghurt] ($8) – Yet another refreshing and crunchy starter! I was apprehensive at first when I saw the different root vegetable colours; I could even imagine the bitter taste to the salad. However, to my surprise, this apple slaw was nothing but sweet and invigorating! Definitely a must-order!Vongole Tagliolini [Steamed Manila clams, garlic, chilli, white wine, parsley, butter & lemon] (Small: $17) – My favourite pasta of all that I’ve tried that night. All pastas come in 2 sizes and my table opted for small throughout so as to taste their variants. If you haven’t known, all pastas at Jamie’s Italian are freshly handmade with love daily. The clams in this dish were huge, fresh and juicy! I especially liked the gravy which was very flavourful and light, full of seafood freshness.Tagliatelle Bolognese [Ragu of beef, pork, herbs, Chianti & Parmesan w crunchy, herby breadcrumbs] (Small: $15) – This was a very hearty pasta dish! The meat sauce went with the choice of tagliatelle very well as the thicker strands of noodles enabled the adhesion of meat better. The breadcrumbs added an interesting crispy twist to it.
Jools’ Favourite Silician Tuna Fusili [Albacore tuna slow-cooked w tomatoes, garlic, herbs & cinnamon w crunchy, herby breadcrumbs] (Small: $14) – I love the shape of the pasta most but the least of its flavours. Somehow the gravy did not agree with my tastebuds but it was a favourite of others.Wild Truffle Risotto [Finely minced black truffle w butter & Parmesan] (Small: $16) – Major love for truffle risottos! The risotto was very well done with the perfect texture to the rice grains and an adequate amount of sauce. It wasn’t too dry such that the rice clumps up together but each grain was plump and fluffy. The truffle scent subsequently permeated through the risotto. A must try!Birxham Bay Crab Risotto [Creamy risotto made w incredible acquerello rice topped w lemony crab, samphire & chilli] (Small: $19) – Yet another outstanding risotto! The flavour of the crab was strong. My only qualm would be the addition of the breadcrumbs which I thought was rather redundant. The breadcrumbs kept making me think that I was biting onto crab shells – a psychological thing I know. 😛Fish in A Bag [Baked fish of the day in foil w mussels, clams, chilli, lemon] ($26) – Apart from pastas and risottos, there are mains such as burgers. This was yet another amazing dish. I really love how all the herbs come together to create amazing flavours. With some lemon juice, this dish was both sour and sweet. The shellfish were again, plump and sweet. The fish itself was fresh and very flavourful after being baked inside the foil, soaking in all the essence. Underneath was actually some sago-like pasta which had the textures akin to barley. Very, very well-done.Homemade Ice creams [Strawberry, Chocolate & Hazelnut ice cream w butterscotch sauce and seasonal fruits] ($10.50) – There’s nothing much to shout about the ice cream here. The only flavour that stood out was definitely Hazelnut.Tiramisu [Coffee-flavoured trifle w orange mascarpone & chocolate] ($11.50) – The tiramisu was very moist, but there wasn’t any alcohol in it. What a waste! But it is still a yummy kid-friendly one!Ji Warm Brownie [Chocolate, raspberry & amaretoo brownie w vanilla ice cream] ($11.50) – This was gooood. The brownie was rather soft but dense and nicely warmed. A must-try for desserts and highly recommended by the service staff.Creamy Panna Cotta [Lovely wobbly panna cotta served w fruit compote] ($9) – Another hot favourite among diners, recommended by the service staff. Indeed, the panna cotta was very wobbly – a perfect description to it! One of the best panna cottas I’ve tried, the pudding was firm but extremely soft at the same time. The vanilla flavour is strong on its own and the fruit compote added some sourness and sweetness to it. Yumyum!

I’m happy to say that Jamie’s Italian does live up to its hype (and queues), with the standard on par with those back at UK! I love how these very yummy and quality food comes at rather reasonable prices too. The space of the restaurant is huge, with an accommodation of 210 seatings, but the whole ambience was lively and bustling, with excellent service provided to diners. The service staff knew the menu very well and all his recommendations were great! Too bad all the staff do not wear name tags or I’ll definitely mention him! Thumbs-up for both him and the restaurant! 😀